ABSTRACT
Crimes Amendment Act 2011, No. 20 of 2011, was effective from June 7, 2011. The Victorian Government introduced the Crimes Amendment Bill 2011 following the tragic suicide in 2006 of a young Victorian woman, Brodie Panlock, who was the victim of serious workplace bullying. The bill criminalizes additional kinds of workplace bullying behavior under an expanded definition of the current stalking laws. The extension of the criminal law applies to bullying in all environments, including workplaces. Under the new laws penalties of up to ten years or imprisonment may be imposed on individuals who engage in serious workplace bullying. Motive is irrelevant to discrimination in determining whether or not a person discriminates. A workplace means any place where a person attends for the purpose of carrying out any functions in relation to his or her employment, occupation, business, trade, or profession and need not be a person's principal place of business or employment.
